New Oxford zoning ordinance should come up for vote in spring

The proposed zoning ordinance remains a work in progress for the city of Oxford, but the document that’s been more than a year in the making should be ready for a council vote by spring.

The document, the first update to the city’s zoning laws since 1996, was presented to the Oxford City Council in a work session Monday. The council is not expected to take a vote on the ordinance before April.

The city has been working on the document for months. It had revised the proposal after Oxford College in December had requested changes in zoning affecting the college. The Oxford Planning Commission in response had changed school zoning to a new category, Institutional Campus.

The IC zone would apply to the college and also to the property that’s presently home to Palmer-Stone Elementary School and to the Cousins Center. The plan, which was reviewed for council by David Stone Eady, chair of the planning commission, also calls for a 200-foot transitional area between the zone and any residential area.

Oxford College Dean Steve Bowen told council members that the school had concerns with the revisions and urged the council to take its time in reviewing the document.

Bowen noted that the college had three initial concerns, regarding the text describing the district, the extent of the transitional area, and the document’s impact on the school’s future development plan.

The zoning ordinance will be subject to further review by the council.

"We’re not going to be in any headlong rush to get this approved," Mayor Jerry Roseberry said.